


Never Quite my Style

by AnnaTheHank



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Domestic, Established Relationship, Family, Fluff, M/M, moslty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-30
Updated: 2018-11-25
Packaged: 2019-07-04 10:35:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 15,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15839487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnaTheHank/pseuds/AnnaTheHank
Summary: Gavin Reed and Ricky find two kids, and android boy and a human girl, at the scene of a crime. They decide to foster them until their parents are found.Technically a sequel to "More Than Just a Scratch" but can be read alone.





	1. A New Case

**Author's Note:**

> Hi~ This work is technically a sequel to my other reed900 fic, "More than just a scratch". However, it can be read on its own.  
> All you need to know is that in the previous story Gavin was badly injured and Ricky nursed him back to health as they fell in love, and Gavin admitted his feelings to Ricky in the middle of the police station.

One of the first things that Gavin did in his quest to be more honest with his emotions was to admit how much he enjoyed waking up next to someone. For two weeks he woke up either curled inside of Ricky’s arms, or with the android plastered to his back. But on Gavin’s first day back to work, the moment was spoiled by the screeching of his alarm.

Ricky reached over Gavin to turn the clock off. “You know,” he said, settling back and rubbing Gavin’s head, “you don’t need an alarm clock. I’m more than capable of keeping track of time.”

Gavin smiled and snuggled in closer to Ricky. “I like it.”

Ricky kissed the top of Ricky’s head. “I’m sure I could emulate the same sound if you wanted.”

Gavin laughed and rolled away, mentally preparing himself to get up. If he stayed cuddled up next to Ricky one more second he would never want to leave. He sighed and threw his arm over his face. “This is going to be disastrous.”

Ricky got out of the bed and started pulling out clothes for him. “Don’t be so dramatic, detective. I’m sure everything will be fine.”

Gavin scoffed. “It’s like a living nightmare.”

Ricky leaned over the bed and gently kissed Gavin. Gavin sat up for more, but the android pulled away from him. “You get ready. I’ll make you something to eat.”

Gavin frowned at him. This brought Mondays to a whole new level of hell.

Gavin took an extra long time showering, actually bothered to shave a little, and slipped into his clothes as if the wound on his side still stung with every movement. Ricky had a judgemental look on his face when Gavin finally appeared in the kitchen.

“We’re going to be late now,” Ricky said.

Gavin poured coffee into a travel mug and smirked. “Oh well.” He shrugged. “Might as well just not go.”

Ricky placed a hand on his shoulder. “The problem isn’t going to just go away, Gavin. You have to go and face it.”

Gavin rolled his eyes but he really couldn’t be too upset. Ricky rarely called him by his name, and Gavin loved the way it sounded coming out of his mouth.

“Fine,” he grumbled. “But I ain’t gonna like it.”

Gavin ate breakfast in the car, having lost the argument with Ricky that it was best he sat and ate at home. He may have purposely let some crumbs fall on the floor to prove his point.

They arrived at the station and Ricky got out of the car. Gavin remained in his seat, face pressed to the window, scowling at the building. It was just full of people who had witnessed his break down, had seen him kiss an android and then fall apart, crying in said android’s arms.

Ricky opened the door and Gavin nearly fell out of the car. “You’re already late, detective.”

“So what’s a few more minutes?” 

Ricky sighed and pulled Gavin out of the car. Gavin shook him off. The last thing he needed was to be seen dragged into the station by him.

“Welcome back, Detective Reed,” the receptionist said as they walked in.

Gavin grumbled and slumped his way to the back. The room fell quiet when he entered. Everyone either stared at him, or looked way to closely at their work in avoidance of staring at him. Gavin scanned the room, begging for a hole to open in the floor, burying him. He wished they would laugh, or insult him, or mock him. Anything was better than this silence. 

Someone bumped into his shoulder. Hank pushed past, scoffing. “Takes two months of sick leave and shows up late. Just like an asshole.”

Hank made his way over to his desk.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better, Detective Reed, Connor said, following right behind.

The office returned to its normal operating hum and Gavin and Ricky sat at their adjoining desks. A few people glanced over in their direction, but if Gavin turned his monitor the right way, he could block them out. The only person he couldn’t block out was Captain Fowler, who was making his way to them.

“You missed the morning meeting, Reed,” Fowler said, crossing his arms.

Gavin’s face hardened and he kept his vision focused on the computer. “That is an accurate statement.”

Fowler slammed the case file on Gavin’s desk, leaning over to face him. “If I had it my way I’d bury you under a mountain of paperwork until you were fully healed, in both body and attitude.. Luckily for you, someone here actually wants to work with you.” He glanced over at Ricky. “For whatever reason.”

Gavin pulled the file out from Fowler’s grip. “The doctor said I’m perfectly fine for duty.”

“A single homicide with two missing persons,” Fowler said, straightening up. 

“Perfect.”

Gavin was glad for a reason to leave the bullpen where everyone tried to pretend like the other week hadn’t happened. Ricky silently followed him out. 

“You actually asked Fowler to put me on a case?” Gavin asked as they walked to the car.

“Yes.”

Gavin shook his head. “I thought that you, like, wanted to protect me or whatever? Aren’t you worried I could get hurt again?”

“I’m very worried, detective. But, I know how much you love your job, and I think it would do you some good to be back on a case.”

Gavin breathed a laugh. “More than you know.”

Ricky walked around the car and opened the door for Gavin. Gavin checked to make sure there wasn’t anyone outside before grabbing the android’s jacket and pulling him down for a kiss. It was the perfect recharge he needed after the tense office he had just come from.


	2. The crime scene

The scene of the crime was a little two-bedroom apartment in the heart of Detroit. The apartment was relatively calm, a handful of cops outside, a few forensics guys inside taking pictures and samples. Gavin noticed the cops eyeing him as he and Ricky entered. He tried to ignore them.

“Oh, Detective Reed,” Officer Miller said, stepping over the dead body in the living room to approach them. “I forgot it was your first day back.”

Gavin waved the statement away. “What do we have here?”

“This man was found dead after a neighbor called about a noise complaint earlier this morning. His name is Tony Ortega, a used car salesman.”

“He live here?” Gavin asked, looking around the room while Ricky knelt down next to the body.

“No. The apartment is in the name of a Mr. Carl Teegan and his wife Tonya. They have a two-year-old daughter, but she’s missing as well,” Chris told him. “We got a hit on Mr. Teegan’s credit card about twenty minutes ago, buying two train tickets to Chicago. We searched the train at the next stop, but they weren’t on board.”

Gavin hummed and walked around the room. He picked up the small blanket from next to the couch. It had a small Y.T. engraved on the corner. The other corner of the white blanket seemed stained a little green. Gavin left the living room and walked into the kitchen.

A box of cereal lay spilled on the table, the little oat bits scattered. A spiral-bound notebook had fallen to the floor. A small drop of red liquid was on the floor by the fridge. 

“What about the kid?” Gavin called into the other room.

Chris followed him into the kitchen. “We’ve looked into it, but she was never enrolled in a daycare and none of the neighbors have seen her.”

Gavin shook his head and studied the fridge magnets. They had the large block-letter magnets. They were arranged into a few simple words like Cat and Dog. And Yasmine. And Oliver. “No. The older one.”

Chris looked down at his tablet and frowned. “There’s no mention here about a second child.”

Gavin hummed and looked towards paneled walls. There was the sliver of a crack between two of them. Gavin studied it, tilted his head. “Have you searched the whole apartment?”

Chris nodded. “Every inch.”

“You know what I don’t understand?” Gavin asked, walking over to the crack. “Modern design.” He placed his hand on the wall. “I mean, who needs a hidden door for a pantry?” He pushed ad the part of the wall sprung back, swinging up. “It’s just food.”

Gavin looked down at the young boy, no older than nine, holding the toddler in his arms. The boy looked back up at him, with big blue eyes and a dark red LED on the side of his face.

Gavin stepped to the side. “Come on out,” he said, gesturing. 

The boy looked to the side and slowly crept out of his hiding place. The toddler was dead asleep in his arms, a white pacifier hanging loosely from her mouth.

“Shit,” Chris whispered. “I’ll, uh, I’ll go call child services.”

Ricky entered the room as Chris left. The boy locked eyes with him and seemed to calm down, his body relaxing. The boy looked back at Gavin and he cursed internally. He didn’t really know how to deal with kids.

Luckily, Ricky knelt down next to the boy.

“Hello, Oliver,” he said in a soft voice. “My name is Ricky. And this here is Detective Reed. You don’t have to be afraid anymore. We’re here to help.”

Oliver sniffed a little and his LED blinked down to yellow. “Is he gone?”

“Is who gone?” Gavin asked. The boy jumped and looked to Gavin as if he had just appeared in the room. Gavin tried not to tap his foot impatiently.

“The man,” Oliver said. 

Gavin repressed a groan. “What man?”

“Detective,” Ricky said, placing a hand on Oliver’s shoulder, “perhaps I should talk to him.”

“Be my guest,” Gavin said, moving over to lean on the counter.

“Oliver, can you tell me what happened this morning?”

Oliver looked over at the table and bit his lip. “I was feeding Yas her breakfast. Mom and Dad were in the living room. Someone came in. A man. And he started yelling. Then there was all this noise. I-I don’t know what was going on.” He looked back at Ricky. “So I hid.”

Ricky nodded and smiled at the boy. “You protected your sister,” he said.

Oliver nodded enthusiastically. The toddler wiggled in his arms, eyes slowly cracking open. Gavin tensed up, ready for the tears that were sure to follow. But Oliver simply adjusted his grip, placed the pacifier back in her mouth, and she curled against his shoulder content.

Chris walked back into the room, phone still in hand. “A social worker is on their way,” he said. 

“Good,” Gavin said. “What’d you get on the body, Ricky?”

“Oh.” Ricky stood up. “I don’t think now is the appropriate time to talk about that.”

“Why not? We’re at a crime scene.”

Ricky gestured down to the boy. He was looking between the two of them, his eyes filling with tears. 

“Oh,” Gavin said.

“Did someone die?” Oliver asked.

Ricky frowned at Gavin and then knelt back down. “It’s okay,” he said to the boy.

Chris’ tablet bleeped and Gavin walked over to him. 

“Another hit on the card,” Chris said, showing Gavin the map. “An atm by the train station.”

“I’ll head over there and see what I can see.” Gavin looked over at Ricky who was still whispering with the boy. He thought about interjecting, but figured it was best he didn’t have anything to do with the kid again and left alone.


	3. Surprise

The ATM lead turned out to be a bust. The security footage showed the couple at the walk-up ATM before disappearing moments before the cops arrived. They did a sweep of the nearby streets and buildings, but the couple was gone. 

Gavin looked at his watch. He still had about two hours left in his shift. He could go back to the station and do some research on the Teegans. Or he could avoid all of his coworkers and do the same research from his laptop in his secluded and judgment-free apartment.

Without Ricky there, the choice was clear and easy.

Gavin stopped at the door to his apartment, key in the lock, hand on the door. He heard scuffling, and two voices talking. Gavin’s hand reflexively went to the holster on his belt before realizing he had left the gun at the station in his haste to get out of there that morning. He cursed under his breath and slowly opened the door.

Gavin’s body relaxed when he recognized one of the voices belonging to Ricky. The other sounded familiar too, but Gavin couldn’t place it.

“That’s not where that goes,” the familiar voice said.

“Are you sure?” Ricky asked, his voice sounding fake and too high-pitched.

Gavin walked into the living room. “What the fuck?”

Ricky was sitting in the middle of the living room, the coffee table pushed to the side, a mess of plastic before him. The android boy from the crime scene sat next to him. A small playpen had been set up in the corner and the toddler from the crime scene shakily stood up in it, sucking on a pacifier and holding a small teddy bear.

Ricky looked up at Gavin, eyebrows furrowed. “You’re home early.”

“What the fuck?” Gavin repeated.

“I told you,” Oliver said.

Ricky gave him a small smile and stood up.

“Seriously, what the fuck?” Gavin asked again.

“We’ll be right back,” Ricky said, grabbing Gavin by the shoulders and leading him into the bedroom. 

Ricky closed the door behind them and placed a hand over Gavin’s mouth before he could ask his question again.

“Let me explain,” Ricky said. Gavin squinted at him, he didn’t move his hand. “They weren’t able to find any relatives for them. Without their parents, Yasmine was going to be placed with a random family and Oliver was going to be sent to a group home. I couldn’t let them get split up so, we’re going to foster them.” Gavin’s stare hardened. “Please don’t yell.”

Ricky slowly took his hand back, his LED already yellow.

“What the fuck were you thinking?” Gavin asked, yelling in a whisper. “We can’t take care of them.”

“I think we’re perfectly capable of taking care of two children,” Ricky said, blinking. 

“Where are we going to put them?” Gavin asked. “This is a one bedroom apartment.”

“The couch pulls out,” Ricky said. “And Yasmine still uses a crib.”

Gavin shook his head. “Is there some kind of error in your program or something?’” he asked, his voice rising. 

“I don’t understand,” Ricky said.

“Of course you don’t,” Gavin said. He turned away, running a hand through his hair. “You don’t understand that we can not have kids.”

“It’s only temporary, detective.” Ricky walked up to him and wrapped his arms around his chest. Gavin frowned and tried not to give in. Ricky placed his chin on Gavin’s shoulder. “They’re great kids. I’m sure if you just got to know them you’d warm up to the idea.”

Gavin grumbled. “All the more reason to find their parents.”

Ricky kissed his cheek. “It’ll be great.” He pulled away. “Just trust me.”

Gavin turned around, still scowling. “This is still a terrible idea. We could have found someone else to take ‘em. Why us?”

“I thought you would be more open to the idea,” Ricky said. “Considering.”

“Considering what?” Gavin asked, daring him.

“Considering your own past,” Ricky said, not backing down.

“Yeah, and you know what? I turned out just fine.”

Ricky titled his head and raised an eyebrow. 

“Ish,” Gavin added.

Ricky shook his head. “And I’m sure, when you were ten, you would have wanted someone to take care of you.”

Gavin sighed and relaxed his shoulders. “Just until we find their parents,” he said.

“And with you on the case, I’m sure it won’t be very long at all.”

Gavin shook his head and let Ricky pull him into a hug. “Who the fuck even agreed to let the two of us be in charge of children,” he said, adding a slight laugh at the end.

Ricky tangled his fingers in Gavin’s hair and smiled. “I’m very good at convincing.”

Gavin scoffed and nuzzled closer. “You’re telling me.”


	4. Tective Weed

Gavin followed Ricky back out into the living room. Oliver stood next to the pile of plastic, holding a screwdriver in his hands, anxiously watching them. He looked at Gavin’s face, then down at the ground.

“I told you’d be against it,” the child said.

“Now now,” Ricky said, walking over to Oliver and placing a hand on his head. “Detective Reed is more than willing to let you stay here until we find your parents.” He looked at Gavin and raised his eyebrow. “Isn’t that right?” 

Gavin coughed. “Uh yeah. Mi casa es su casa.”

“I didn’t know you spoke Spanish,” Oliver said. “Donde aprendiste?”

“Uh, I don’t, I don’t actually…”

“I believe Detective Reed was simply using a commonly known phrase to welcome you,” Ricky said, smiling at him.

“Oh,” Oliver said. 

“Weed,” Yasmine said, bouncing up and down on her feet, the pacifier laying on the floor outside her pen. 

“Great,” Gavin said, rolling his eyes. “A stoner baby.”

“‘Tective Weed,” she said, reaching her hands into the air.

Oliver giggled at her and went to pick her up. “She’s still working on her pronunciations.”

“No,” Yas said, squirming in Oliver’s arms. She reached out to Gavin, opening and closing her hands. “Weed!”

“I believe she wants you to hold her,” Ricky said.

“Oh no,” Gavin said, shaking his head and taking a step back. “I don’t-I can’t.”

Yasmine stopped moving, her eyes opening, filling with tears. Her face started to turn red.

“Uh-oh,” Oliver said. He looked around, spotted the pacifier, and picked it up. 

Yasmine opened her mouth and let out a screech, loud and high pitched.

“What the fuck is it doing?” Gavin asked, covering his ears.

“I’m sorry,” Oliver said, trying to shove the pacifier in his sister’s mouth. She struggled against him, throwing her head side to side, her scream never faltering. “Please, Yas, quiet down.”

Ricky picked the child out of Oliver’s arms and carried her over to Gavin. Gavin scowled at him and shook his head, backing up. Yasmine reached out to him, her face bright red, her cries guttural.

Ricky shoved Yasmine into Gavin’s hands. Gavin held her up, away from his body. She started to calm down, her breaths coming out in sobs, but her face lightening and her tears slowing.

“That’s not how you hold a toddler, detective,” Ricky said. “She’s not going to bite.”

“You can’t be sure of that,” Gavin said. He studied Yasmine, the girl kicking her legs and reaching towards his face.

“Come now, detective,” Ricky said. He stepped up next to him and pulled his arms closer to his body. 

Gavin grumbled but properly wrapped his arms around the toddler, holding her up. “Happy now?” Gavin asked her.

Yasmine chuckled a little and grabbed at the ends of Gavin’s hair, tugging hard.

“Ow,” Gavin said, trying to pull her off.

Oliver stood to the side hands clenched into fists, eyes wide. His body was tense and he looked like he wasn’t breathing.

Yasmine released Gavin’s hair and laughed. 

“Great,” Gavin said. “How long do I have to hold her?”

“Here,” Oliver said, reaching up. “I’ll take her.”

Gavin gladly handed the toddler to Oliver. For a moment she looked like she was going to cry again, but then she rested her head against Oliver’s shoulder and fell asleep.

“A sign we should finish her crib, huh?” Ricky asked, placing a hand around Gavin’s shoulders. 

Oliver nodded and gently laid Yasmine in her playpen. 

Ricky leaned his head towards Gavin’s. “You handled that much better than anticipated,” he said, placing a kiss on Gavin’s cheek.

“Oh ye of little faith,” Gavin said with a scoff.

“Would you like to help us finish building?” Oliver asked.

“That’s alright,” Gavin said, picking his laptop up off the coffee table. I think I’ll just, go work on the case a bit.”

Gavin escaped to the bedroom, thankful when no one tried to follow him. He sat down in the chair by his window and opened up the files on the Teegans. Someone, probably Chris, had logged in Mr. Teegans browser history. 

Gavin tapped his finger against the arm of the chair. He scrolled up in the history, but there were no sites that would explain where the couple might have gone. Or what they had to do with the victim. No websites about car shopping, that was for sure. It was all online shopping for electronics and news websites.

Gavin opened the files with the crime scene pictures. He made notes to himself for when he got into the office tomorrow, things to inspect more, like the overturned lamp and the stain on the curtains. 

He kept looking at the files, scanning for hints of whether or not the Teegan’s killed Mr. Ortega, and where they might have gone off to.

He didn’t realize how late it was until Ricky entered the room and turned on the light.

Gavin looked up at him, blinking in the sudden brightness. 

“You’ve been working too hard,” Ricky said, closing the laptop and placing it on the bedside table. He ran his hand through Gavin’s hair, and Gavin let his head fall back, enjoying the moment of peace.

“How long do you think we have until it starts crying again?” Gavin asked.

Ricky tweaked a smile. “Well, she’s in her new crib now, and Oliver assured me she’s quite good at sleeping through the night.”

Gavin sighed and stood up, leaning into Ricky. “I can’t do it, you know.”

“Do what, detective?” Ricky asked, holding Gavin’s body against his own.

“The dad thing,” Gavin mumbled into the android’s jacket. He shook his head. “It’s...it’s not for me.”

“It’s only temporary,” Ricky reminded him. He kissed the top of his head. “You should get some rest.”

Gavin nodded. “Is Oliver settled?” he asked, getting undressed.

Ricky nodded. “He seemed quite comfortable on the pull-out. And I told him he could watch television as long as he keeps it quiet. I hope that’s alright.”

Gavin fell into the bed. “Yeah, that’s fine. I guess androids don’t really need to sleep that much huh?” He blinked as Ricky slid into bed next to him. “What do you do all night?”

Ricky curled himself around Gavin’s back, kissed the nape of his neck. “I do sleep a few hours, it helps keep my systems operating properly.” He paused for a moment. “The rest of the time I...Well, I think on how lucky I am to have you.”

Gavin felt his entire body flush. He buried his face in his pillow and mumbled, “shut-up.”


	5. The morning after

Gavin woke up alone and grumpy. He slammed his hand down on the alarm clock, turning over in bed, refusing to acknowledge its existence. If Ricky couldn’t be bothered to stay in bed then Gavin couldn’t be bothered to wake up. He wrapped himself up in his blanket, perfectly content with his decision.

“I was afraid of that,” Ricky said.

Gavin opened his eyes and looked over his shoulders. Ricky stood in the doorway, arms crossed, head shaking.

Gavin turned back over. “They’re still here aren’t they?” he asked, ears straining for sounds coming from the living room.

Ricky pulled out some clothes and laid them at the foot of the bed. “Well, considering you have not found their parents in the time that you were asleep, I would say that is an excellent conclusion.”

Gavin groaned and pulled the covers over his head. “You didn’t tell anyone did you?”

“I have not had the time.” Ricky sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled the covers back. 

“Good.” Gavin rolled onto his back and looked at him. “Don’t tell anyone. Okay?”

Ricky raised an eyebrow at him but nodded. “If that is what you wish, detective.”

“Yeah.” Gavin sat up and rested his head against Ricky. “No one else needs to know.”

Ricky quickly kissed Gavin’s head and then stood up. “You’d better get ready. We’re already running late and we still have to drop Yasmine off.”

Gavin stood up and grabbed his shirt. “Take her where?”

“Well, we can’t very well leave her here alone. I’ve made arrangements to have her enrolled at a daycare just down the block from the station.”

“Busy morning,” Gavin mumbled, slipping into his clothes. “What about the older one.”

“Oliver will be staying home for now. I’ve talked it over with him and he’s convinced me he’ll be fine. Now, I’m going to get Yasmine settled in her car seat. I expect you outside in five minutes. There are muffins waiting for you in the kitchen, don’t forget to grab one on your way out.”

Gavin finished getting dressed and walked out to the kitchen. He stopped in the living room, looking around. Everything was way neater than he anticipated. The pull out had been put away, the crib and playpen had been placed away in the corner and the coffee table had been returned to its place.

Oliver sat on the couch, flipping through something on a tablet. The android boy looked up at Gavin and smiled slightly. “Good morning, Detective Reed.”

“Mornin’, kid,” Gavin said. 

They stared at each other for a second. Oliver’s mouth twitched and he turned his attention back to the tablet.

Gavin cleared his throat and went into the kitchen. He poured himself a mug of coffee, considered leaving the muffin behind, but decided to bring it with him. He stopped back in the living room before leaving.

“Have a good day at work,” Oliver said, standing up.

“You sure you’re okay alone?” Gavin asked.

Oliver nodded. “Yes, sir. I’m fine.”

Gavin looked at his watch. “Don’t you have like...school or something? Or, well, I guess since you’re an android you already know everything, huh?”

“I don’t go to school, no,” Oliver said. He thought about it for a second. “But I think I’d like to.”

Gavin almost choked on his coffee. “You willing want to go to school?”

“Yes,” Oliver said, his voice dropping a little. “It’s what normal kids do. Isn’t it?”

Gavin smiled at the kid to try and lighten the mood. “For the record, most kids don’t actually want to go to school.”

“Oh.” Oliver nodded. “I see.”

“Right.” Gavin shrugged. “Well, uh, no wild parties while we’re gone okay?”

Oliver furrowed his eyebrows at him. He looked almost like a miniature version of Ricky. “I would never, detective.”

“It was a joke,” Gavin said. “Just, ya know, have fun.” He waved the kid off and left.

“Seven minutes,” Ricky said, watching Gavin approach the car. “Much quicker than I expected. Well done.”

Gavin scowled at him. “Why do you always assume the worst of me?” he asked, getting into the car.

Ricky slid into the driver’s seat and started the ignition. “That way I’m always pleasantly surprised.”

Gavin looked in the back seat as they drove away. Yas sat in her car seat, legs swinging up and down, head bobbing back and forth as she pulled cereal out of a bag and shoved it in her mouth.

She stopped briefly to say, scream really, “Morning!”

Gavin turned back around, trying not to let the crunching sound annoy him. Ricky placed a hand on his knee and squeezed a little. Gavin placed his hand on the android’s and looked out the window, watching the city pass as they drove back to work.


	6. The one where everyone finds out

Gavin squinted at the daycare sign in the sunlight. “Miss Sunny’s school for tykes,” he read out loud. He scoffed.   
“Need a cough drop, detective?” Ricky asked, rolling down the windows and shutting the car off.

“I’m not saying anything,” Gavin said, settling back in his seat.

“Are you sure you don’t want to come in?” Ricky asked.

“Positive.”

Ricky shook his head and got out of the car. 

“Bye-bye,” Yasmine said as Ricky freed her from her car seat.

“Yeah, see ya, kid,” Gavin said. He pulled out his phone and looked through his email.

Gavin looked to the side, watching Ricky disappear into the building. He watched the door, waiting for it to swing back open again. A minute passed and nothing happened. Gavin was close to getting out of the car and going in after him when he spotted someone walking down the sidewalk. Two someone's actually.

“Fuck,” Gavin said, slouching down in his seat, actually hiding his face behind his hand.

Hank walked right past the car without even looking in his direction, but fucking Connor had to stop and say, “Good morning, Detective Reed.”

Gavin scowled and looked out the window. Hank turned around and joined them. 

“What are you doing here?” Connor asked.

Gavin looked up and down the street, trying to find an excuse, the only other store open on the street that early was a yoga studio. 

“Uh,” he said, still trying to think of something.

“Is that a car seat?” Hank asked, craning his neck to look in the back seat.

“Uh,” Gavin repeated.

“Oh. Good morning, Connor. Lieutenant Anderson,” Ricky said, finally walking back outside. 

“Oh, Jesus,” Hank said, looking at the building. “You can’t be serious.”

“It’s just temporary,” Gavin mumbled, slipping down further in his seat, wishing he could disappear from the world. 

“I don’t understand,” Connor said. “When did you adopt a child?”

“We haven’t,” Ricky told him. “We’re just fostering them until we find their parents.”

“They’re involved in your case?” Hank asked. “What the fuck were you thinking?” He addressed this last part at Gavin.

“Don’t look at me,” Gavin said. “It was his idea.”

Connor and Hank turned to Ricky, whose LED was a soft yellow, his eyes crinkled in confusion. “I honestly didn’t think it was that big of a problem,” he said.

“You’re gonna fuck those kids up,” Hank said, walking away.

Connor looked between the two of them. “I wish you the best of luck,” he said, hurrying after Hank.

Gavin groaned, his head starting to hurt, and closed his eyes. “Fucking fantastic,” he said as Ricky got into the car. “What the fuck took you so long in there?”

“I just wanted to make sure she was settled is all,” Ricky said, not looking at Gavin. “I’m sorry.”

Gavin sighed and stared out the window as they finally drove back to the station.

Everyone in the station seemed to be acting normal, even Hank and Connor didn’t look up at them as they entered. Gavin watched the room with a wary eye as he sat down. He turned on his computer, looking at everyone, trying to catch their eyes.

“Kids, Gavin?” Tina said, appearing suddenly next to him. 

“Jesus,” Gavin said, rolling away from her. 

She walked around the corner of his desk. “Kids?”

“Guess Anderson told you,” Gavin said.

“What are you thinking?” She asked. “Gavin you can barely take care of yourself and you’re now taking responsibility for kids?”

Gavin rubbed a hand down his face. He wondered how long it would take for everything to just go back to normal in the station. It was bad enough with everyone knowing about him and Ricky, but now this?  
“I assure you, Officer Chen,” Ricky spoke up from the next desk, “that I am capable of taking care of them.”

“Oh, yeah,” Tina said. “I guess as long as you're around…” she leaned over to whisper in Gavin’s ear. “You are so lucky you have him around.”

Gavin shooed her away and opened the files on the Teegan case. The sooner he found this couple the better. He looked back over his notes from the night before. They would have to go back to the crime scene at some point.

“Excuse me, detective,” Ricky said, his head tilted away. “I’ll be right back.” 

Gavin watched him get up and walk away. He shook his head and looked back at his computer. What would Ricky need to excuse himself for? It’s not like androids went to the bathroom or had to get coffee. Gavin tried to ignore it, but he couldn’t seem to focus on his computer screen.

“Fuck it,” he said, pushing away from his desk and following after Ricky.

He found Ricky standing in an empty hallway. Just standing there, his eyes downcast, his face almost seeming to sag.

“Hey,” Gavin said. 

Ricky blinked and looked down the hall at Gavin. His LED was still yellow. He didn’t say anything.

Gavin stood in front of him, but the android was avoiding eye contact. “What’s wrong?” 

Ricky looked to the side, not saying anything. 

Gavin kicked at his leg. Ricky finally looked at him. 

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Gavin asked.

“I didn’t think it would be such an issue,” Ricky whispered.

Gavin scoffed. “For once your meticulous planning fails.” He smiled but Ricky just looked away. Gavin scratched his head. “Look, I’m sorry I’ve been such a dick about this.”

“No,” Ricky said. “I knew you would react like this. I should have known how difficult this would make...everything.”

“So then why’d you do it?”

Ricky looked at him. “I’m not entirely sure. I just...that boy. The way he looked at me.” He shook his head and looked back down at the ground. “I felt like I had to protect him somehow.”

Gavin grabbed Ricky’s chin, forcing his head back up. “You’re too good for me.”

Ricky’s eyebrows furrowed. “I’m not entirely sure I follow.”

Gavin closed the gap between them and kissed him. “You did a good thing. I’m just sorry you have to deal with me.”

“We should focus on finding their parents,” Ricky said. “The sooner they’re gone, the better.”

Gavin sighed and leaned his head against Ricky’s shoulder. “Yeah.”


	7. Just Temporary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, and it being a short chapter. Bit of a rough time but I think I'm back in the swing of things

After the tragedy that was every other person at work asking him about having kids, Gavin was more than ready to just go home, curl up on the couch with Ricky and watch a movie. But of course, they had to pick up Yasmine at daycare and go home Oliver and take care of them. Gavin tried hard not to scowl the entire way home, but he didn’t do a very good job of it.

“Welcome home,” Oliver said, greeting them at the door and taking Yasmine from Ricky’s arms. “I hope work went well.”

“Just dandy,” Gavin said, making a beeline for the couch. He stopped in the middle of the room. He sat his work bag on the floor and looked around at the little lines in the carpet and sniffed at the lemony scent. “Did you clean?”

Oliver sat Yas down in her playpen and shrugged. “There wasn’t much else to do. I thought you’d like it.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Gavin said, feeling almost guilty about sitting down, choosing to remain standing instead.

“I really don’t mind.” Oliver picked up Gavin’s bag and brushed it off, setting it down on the coffee table. 

Gavin studied the kid as he smoothed down Yas’ hair. He heard Ricky starting to cook in the kitchen and he was torn. He knew he should either play with the kids or go help Ricky, but all he really wanted to do was sit down and maybe take a nap. He sighed, following the sounds of dishes into the kitchen.

“Whatcha making?” He asked.

“Spaghetti,” Ricky said, without turning around. “I figure it would be something easy for Yas to eat.”

“And messy,” Gavin said.

Ricky stopped moving. “You’re right,” he said. He shook his head and started putting the pots away. “I’ll think of something else.”

“Hey, hey, wait,” Gavin said, grabbing Ricky’s wrist and forcing him to put the pot back down. “It was just a joke. We can always clean.” He let go of Ricky and the android nodded, opening a sauce can. “Besides, with Oliver out there we may not even have to do anything.” He added a chuckle this time, to prove he was joking.

“It is odd, isn’t it?” Ricky asked, turning around. He leaned against the counter and frowned.

“What?” Gavin asked. “A child that is actually well behaved and neat? Yeah, it’s a miracle.”

“Not just that,” Ricky said. He tilted his head to the side. “Oliver seems to take things to quite an extreme.”

Gavin nodded and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Yeah. He almost seems…worried if something isn’t perfect.”

The sauce started to boil, a part of it splashing over the edge. Ricky startled and turned back to the stove. Gavin grabbed a cloth and wiped off the counter. He spotted a bit of red on Ricky’s shirt sleeve and grabbed it.

Gavin tsked. “We oughta get that off and in the wash before that sets.” He smirked up at Ricky.

The android smiled back, raising an eyebrow at him. He leaned over, kissing the man. Their moment was broken by a fit of laughter from the living room. 

“Fuck,” Gavin said, letting go of Ricky’s shirt but keeping his head close. “Forgot about them for a second.”

Ricky chuckled softly. “It does seem a little odd that we’ve moved from partners, to lovers, to parents all in the span of a few weeks.”

Gavin scoffed. “Yeah, well, it’s just temporary. I’ll have my way with you soon, don’t you worry.”


	8. Do you love me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I'm such a liar. I'm working on that. Love me for all my faults~

After dinner, with surprisingly little mess from Yas, Gavin finally sat on the couch, ready to relax.

“What would you like to do tonight?” Ricky asked the group, walking in from the kitchen.

All Gavin wanted to do was curl up next to Ricky, maybe make out a little until he fell asleep against him on the couch and he carried him to bed. But there were a few too many people in the room for that.

Gavin shrugged. “What do you kids usually do back at your place?”

“Oh,” Oliver said. “Well. I usually play with Yas up in our room. I do a lot of learning games with her. She’s really bright and I want her to be ages ahead of the others when she goes to school.”

Gavin scoffed. “Oh yeah. A regular genius.” He leaned forward. “Hey, kid, what’s my name?”

“‘Tective Weed,” Yas said, bouncing up and down on her toes.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the next Einstein.” Gavin fell back into the couch.

“All children have difficulty pronouncing r’s,” Ricky said. He picked Yasmine up and smiled at her. She giggled and squished his face between her hands. Gavin failed to not smile.

“She really is quite smart,” Oliver said. “She’s really good at matching shapes, and colors too.”

“We’ll have to pick you up some new toys to play with,” Ricky said, bopping the toddler on her nose.

“She likes giraffes,” Oliver said. “You know, if you were to get something giraffe-themed, I’m sure she’d love it.”

“Giraffes it is.”

Gavin reached forward and grabbed the remote. “Why don’t we just watch a movie or something.”

“A movie sounds like fun,” Oliver said. He took Yas from Ricky and settled down in the chair with her on his lap.

Ricky sat down next to Gavin on the couch. Gavin flipped through the movie channels. There were several ones he wanted to watch, but he figured they weren’t entirely appropriate for kids. Sighing, he settled on something about a cartoon fox. He tossed the remote back on the coffee table and sat back, crossing his arms.

Ricky reached around and pulled Gavin closer to him, keeping his arm wrapped around Gavin’s shoulders. Gavin squirmed a little, but Oliver and Yas seemed to be absorbed in the movie. Eventually, Gavin gave in, resting his head on Ricky’s shoulder. If he closed his eyes he could pretend nothing had changed and it was just him and Ricky, alone, with no one to worry about.

*

Gavin woke to Ricky laying him down in their bed. The room was dark, a scant amount of moonlight filtering through the cloudy sky. 

“I’m sorry,” the android whispered. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“Nah,” Gavin said. He sat up on the edge, starting to unbutton his shirt. “It’s okay. Can’t believe I fell asleep.”

“You’ve had a lot to deal with the past two days.” Ricky sat on the bed next to him, placing a hand on his leg.

“Two days?” Gavin said. “Man, it feels like it’s been weeks.”

Ricky rested his head against Gavin’s, closing his eyes. “I’m very sorry for disrupting your life,” he whispered. “I love you very much and I can’t stand that I’ve upset you so.”

Gavin blinked, the dreariness of his sleep fading. He shook his head. “I can’t possibly see why.”

Ricky pulled back and looked at him. Gavin shrugged and looked down, avoiding his searching eyes.

“Can’t see what?” Ricky asked.

Gavin rolled his head back and looked up at the ceiling. “Why you’d love me, of all people. I’m not...nice? Or, calm. I can’t handle children, I-I can’t handle myself.”

Ricky grabbed Gavin's chin, a little too hard, and forced him to make eye contact. “I don’t care about any of that,” he said. “Gavin, you are incredibly dedicated and hard working. You may not care about a lot of things but when you do care about something you truly, deeply, care. You may have your faults but trust me, the pros outweigh the cons.”

Gavin certainly wasn’t crying. He leaned forward resting his head against Ricky’s chest. “I don’t deserve you,” he mumbled.

“Well,” Ricky said, kissing the top of his head. “That’s not really for you to decide.”


	9. Bowling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's very late. Please don't look at me.

After dropping Yasmine at the daycare the next day, Gavin and Ricky opted out of going to the DPD by stopping by the crime scene first.

“I don’t understand why you wanted to come back,” Ricky said, holding the door open for Gavin. “All of the photos are in the database and most of everything has been cleaned up.”

“I know,” Gavin said. He stood in the living room, hands on his hips, scanning.

“If this is simply to avoid seeing everyone at the office-” Ricky started.

“You think I would do something like that?”

Ricky blinked. “Yes.”

“Well, you’re wrong.” Gavin walked down the hall to the left and peeked his head into the master bedroom. “That’s an odd color for a bedroom wall,” he said, frowning at the green pigment.

Ricky stood stiffly behind him. “Some people find green to be a calming color.”

“It’s sickening.” 

Gavin closed the door and entered the room across the hall. It had been painted a dusty yellow color. A simple wooden crib sat up against the window and a faded brown toy box sat against the wall next to the mostly empty closet. A sleeping bag was rolled up in the corner.

Gavin squinted at the rolled up bag. “That better not be for Oliver,” he growled.

Ricky looked at the bag with equal distaste. “I fear it may be. He did mention they shared a room.”

Gavin shook his head and walked further into the room. Ricky opened the closet further and studied the clothes inside. Gavin spotted a small giraffe plush toy sitting in the crib. He picked it up. It was partially deflated and the stuffing in the neck had dispersed to the body, leaving the head dropping over itself. One of the button eyes were missing and the front left leg had been reattached with perfectly straight stitchings. 

Gavin looked over his shoulder to make sure Ricky wasn’t looking before stuffing the toy in his coat pocket. “Come on,” he said, leading Ricky out of the room. “I wanna check the kitchen real quick.”

The place had been picked up since the incident. Gavin opened the fridge, taking stock. There was a lot of milk and hard cider, but very little food. He smiled at the fridge magnets and then started rummaging through the cupboards.

“If you’re hungry we can stop for something on the way to the station,” Ricky said, standing in the doorway and watching him.

“I’m just looking around.” There wasn’t a lot of food in the cupboards either, some cereal and peanut butter, but mostly empty. Gavin started opening the drawers.

“Is this really necessary, detective?” Ricky asked.

“Oh yes,” Gavin said, pulling a stack of papers out of one drawer. He spread them out on the counter. Ricky walked over and looked at them over his shoulder.

The papers were a series of pamphlets, each expressing the perks and costs of different models of androids, including the child android that was Oliver.

“Perhaps they were shopping around for a housekeeper,” Ricky said, turning away.

“Ricky, really?” Gavin shoved the pamphlets back in the drawer and crossed his arms.

“It’s better than imagining the alternative,” Ricky said. He turned back around, his face calm but his LED still yellow. “Besides. I doubt that has much to do with the murder. And is, therefore, none of our concern. Are you don here?”

“Yeah let’s go,” Gavin said. “Unless you wanna play hookey and just go see a movie or something.”

“Not a chance,” Ricky said, placing a hand on Gavin’s back as they walked back to the car.

The office was surprisingly quiet when they finally got there. Most people ignored them, except for Hank, who kept staring at them with a frown.

“I’m going to punch him if he doesn’t stop looking over here,” Gavin said. He was hunched over his desk, browsing through the interviews done with the other apartment residents.

“It’s understandable, his feelings,” Ricky said, typing something on his computer. “But I agree that he’s taking it a bit too far.”

“What’s understandable about that?” Gavin asked. He made eye contact with him and Hank just squinted more.

“Well, he lost his own son not so long ago. And now someone who is generally in opposition with him, who himself stated wasn’t the ‘dad-type’, is entrusted with the care of two children. I assume it must be difficult.”

Gavin turned his stare to Ricky, blinking. The android kept his focus on his computer. How dare he make a good point. 

“Oh shut up,” Gavin said, returning to his work.

A few hours later Ricky stood up and put on his jacket, getting ready to leave. Gavin looked at him, face in concentration, tapping his finger on his desk.

“Something the matter, detective?” Ricky asked.

“Bowling,” Gavin said.

Ricky tilted his head. “You...you want to go bowling?”

“No,” Gavin said. He turned back to his computer. “One minute.”

Ricky sat back down and watched Gavin work.”

“Aha!” Gavin said, startling the android a bit. “I knew it. Look. Mr. Teegan and our victim were in the same bowling league.” He spun his monitor around, showing the bowling league website and pictures to Ricky.

“And on different teams,” Ricky said. Gavin nodded. “Do you really think someone would kill someone else over bowling?”

“I once had a case where someone killed someone over a corn chip,” Gavin said. “I think bowling related murder is within the realm of human possibility.”

Ricky’s mouth twitched into a smile. “We’ll have to look into it tomorrow.”

“Ah,” Gavin said, remembering their new responsibilities. “Yeah. My necks starting to hurt anyway.”

Ricky wrapped an arm around Gavin’s shoulders as they walked out of the office, the sun setting on the horizon. 

“You’re awfully chummy tonight,” Gavin said, happy that no one was around outside to witness this moment.

“I’m feeling awfully chummy tonight,” Ricky responded.

Gavin shook his head, then leaned it against Ricky’s shoulder as they approached the car, not wanting to part to get in.


	10. Jaffe the Giraffe

“We’re home,” Ricky announced as he carried Yasmine into the apartment. Gavin followed behind them, sniffing at the lemon scent in the air.

“Hello,” Oliver said, greeting them at the entrance to the living room. “How was work?” he asked. He took Yas from Ricky and bounced her a bit, the toddler laughing.

“We made some excellent progress,” Ricky told him. “What would you like for dinner, detective?”

Gavin glanced up at him. “Oh? Uh. Whatever.” He walked into the room, looking at the shelves which had been recently dusted. 

“Can I help you cook?” Oliver asked, setting Yas down in her playpen. “I’ve been wanting to learn.”

Ricky smiled at him and Gavin wished he could see that smile more often. “Of course.”

Oliver jumped a little and raced toward the kitchen.

“Can you keep an eye on Yas, Gavin?” Ricky asked.

Use my name and I’ll do whatever you want,” Gavin thought.

“I think I’m capable of keeping a child alive for a few minutes,” he said.

Ricky nodded at him and joined Oliver in the kitchen. Gavin wandered over to Yas’ pen. She stood up, holding onto the edge to look at him. He glanced over his shoulder, making sure the others weren’t around. “Got ya something,” he whispered.

Yas studied him as he reached into his coat pocket. He pulled out the toy giraffe and handed it to her. The toddler squealed, pulling the toy to her chest and squeezing it.

“Jaffe,” she said.

“You named your giraffe, Jaffe?” Gavin asked. He scoffed. “Did you name your teddy bear, Teddy?”

“No,” she said, smiling. She gripped the toy in one hand and reached up to Gavin with the other, closing and opening her hand. “Up.”

Gavin looked down at her, shaking his head. “No thanks.”

“Peas?”

“If you can say the actual word please, I’ll consider it.”

Yas tilted her head. “Pwles?” She said.

Gavin chuckled. “Close enough,” he mumbled. He checked again that the coast was clear before picking up the child. 

Yas giggled and grabbed his shirt in her free hand. He sushed her and sat down on the chair, setting her down on his lap.

“Don’t you worry, kid,” he said, bouncing his knee a bit. “We’ll find your parents soon.”

“Jaffe kiss,” Yas said. 

“What?” Gavin asked.

Yas held the toy up to Gavin and tapped its head against his cheek a few times. “Jaffe kiss.”

“I ain’t kissing that thing,” Gavin said. “I have no idea where it’s been.” Well, he did know it had been in his coat pocket, and he also knew the other things he had put in there. That was the problem.

“Jaffe kiss,” Yas insisted, shoving the toy against him.

Gavin groaned. “Fine.” He turned his head and kissed the toy giraffe quickly. “Happy?”

Yas giggled and pulled the toy down to her lap. She bounced it up and down a little bit then looked back up at Gavin. “Yasy kiss.”

“I beg your pardon?” Gavin asked.

“Yasy kiss.” Yas tilted her head, leaning it against Gavin’s chest.

“Absolutely not,” Gavin said, without hesitation. 

Yas tilted her head to look at him, her eyes wide and glossy. “But Jaffe kiss.”  
“So?”

“Jaffe kiss,” Yas said, holding up the toy. “Yasy kiss.”

“That is not happening,” Gavin said.

“But Jaffe kiss,” Yas insisted. Her bottom lip started to quiver.

Fearful that she might start crying and bring attention to the fact that Gavin was holding her, Gavin dipped his head down real quick and placed a kiss to the top of her head.

Yas giggled and smiled up at him. She almost looked cute. Almost.

“Jaffe fly,” Yas said, holding the toy and moving it through the air.

“Giraffes can’t fly,” Gavin told her.

“Jaffe can,” Yas said. She stuck her tongue out at him. 

Gavin scoffed. “Sure he can.”

Yas chucked the toy across the room, the giraffe smacking against the other wall and falling to the floor.

“He can fly right into that wall,” Gavin said.

“Everything alright?” Ricky asked, walking into the room. He looked at the toy on the ground, the source of the noise, and then looked at Yas in Gavin’s lap. Gavin shrugged, blushing.

“Jaffe fly,” Yas said, bouncing up and down excitedly. 

Ricky leaned over and picked up the toy. He turned it over in his hand, studying it. “Where did you get this?” he asked, looking at Gavin.

Gavin shrugged and looked away. “I just picked it up from the apartment,” he said. “No big deal.”

“You messed with a crime scene, detective?” Ricky said, smirking and raising an eyebrow.

Gavin coughed but didn’t respond, avoiding looking at Ricky’s stupid cute face. Ricky carefully calculated the space between them and tossed the toy back over, it landing softly in Yas’ lap. Then he returned to the kitchen.

Yas laughed. “Jaffe fly.” She stuck her tongue out at Gavin again and he just shook his head at her.


	11. Long Night

Gavin had trouble sleeping that night. Ricky was wrapped around him, arms across his chest, legs entangled together. Gavin stared at the clock, watching the minutes tick by, counting how many hours he had left to sleep before the alarm went off. He leaned his head back, resting it against Ricky’s shoulder, and looked down.

The hand that was holding Gavin’s arm was missing its skin. Shades of grey and blue plastic pressed against Gavin’s wrist, a warmth radiating from the point of contact. Gavin brought his other hand up, drawing lazy circles on Ricky’s knuckles.

Gavin heard a soft sigh behind him, then Ricky said “Sorry,” and the thin layer of skin formed back on his hand.

“Don’t be,” Gavin whispered back. “Does it even...work?”

“Well,” Ricky said, adjusting so his face rested against Gavin’s neck. “It’s not the same as with an android.” He kissed Gavin’s skin lightly. “But I do feel something.”

“So then do it,” Gavin said. He cupped Ricky’s hand in his. 

Ricky smiled against Gavin’s neck and the skin on his hand disappeared, a new warmth on Gavin’s skin, almost like a current of electricity licking at it.

“I kind of feel something too,” Gavin said. They lay there for a moment, in blissful silence. But Gavin still couldn't sleep, and the question would not go away. “You don’t want kids, do you?”

It took a second for Ricky to respond. “I had never really thought about it.”

“It’s just that,” Gavin’s fingers played with Ricky’s, “I...don’t.” There was a silence. “I never did.”

Ricky nodded, his nose digging into Gavin’s shoulder. “That’s perfectly acceptable.” He smiled and pulled Gavin in closer. “I’m perfectly happy keeping you all to myself.”

Gavin breathed a laugh and twisted his head around. The android’s eyes were closed, his face soft. Gavin pressed a kiss to his lips and rested their heads together, finally feeling sleep overtake him.

That was, until the crying started.

“What the hell is that?” Gavin asked, sitting up in bed, listening to the screeches coming from down the hall.

Ricky sat up next to him. “I believe that would be Yasmine.” He threw the covers off and stood up. “I’ll go check.”

Gavin slid out of the bed and threw his robe on, following the android down to the living room.

Oliver stood in the center of the room, illuminated by the soft light of the muted T.V. He held a red-faced Yas in his arms, bouncing her up and down.

“Shh, Yas,” he said. “Please. You’re going to wake them up.”

“Too late,” Gavin mumbled.

Oliver startled and turned towards them. He looked at them with wide eyes and trembling lips. “I’m sorry,” he said. He let Ricky take Yas from him. “I tried feeding her and everything. She just won’t stop crying.”

Ricky gave Oliver a small smile and turned his attention to Yas.

“She’s not sick either,” Oliver said. “I checked.”

Yas twisted in Ricky’s arms, holding her hands out to Gavin. Gavin sighed. “Why me, kid? Why always me?”

He stepped forward anyway, taking the toddler into his arms. Yas sobbed a few more time before slowing her breath. She leaned her head against Gavin’s shoulder and continued to cry, just more softly. Gavin shrugged at the two androids.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with her,” Oliver said, looking at the ground, his body tense. “I’m sorry she woke you.”

Ricky knelt down in front of him, putting his hands on the boy's shoulders. “It’s alright, Oliver. We aren’t upset.”

Oliver looked up at him, his back still hunched over. “You aren’t.”

Ricky shook his head, giving the boy a smile. Oliver’s body started to relax a little.

“We were up anyway,” Gavin added.

Yas sniffed and turned her head, whimpering softly.

“What should I do with this?” Gavin asked.

“If I had to guess,” Ricky said, standing back up. “I’d say she’s probably homesick. I imagine this whole ordeal has upset her quite a bit.”

“So, uh, what should I do?”

“Just comfort her.”

Gavin stared at him. He said that like it was easy. “Uh,” he patted Yas’ back with a stiff arm, “there, there?”

Ricky chuckled softly and walked over. He placed one hand on Yas’ head, and the other on Gavin’s back. He gently brushed Yasmine’s hair, shushing her softly. 

He made it look easy, too.

Gavin mimicked Ricky, gently rubbing Yas’ back. The toddler quieted down, heavy eyes staring up at him.

“Better?” Gavin asked.

Yas nodded, her eyes drooping shut.

“Yeah,” Gavin said. “Bet all that crying is exhausting.” 

He carried Yas over to her crib and gently laid her down. Ricky covered her with a blanket and moved Jaffe from the corner to the crook of her arm. She turned slightly, grabbing hold of the toy, before falling to sleep. 

Gavin sighed and slumped away from the crib, feeling the hours he’s been awake. “Well, I’m going back to bed.”

He stopped next to Oliver first, giving the kid a reassuring pat on the head.


	12. The Bowling Alley

The next day Yasmin fell asleep in her car seat. Gavin watched her from the rearview window, her head nodding softly with the bump of the car.

“Did you know,” Ricky said, “That children fall asleep in cars because they simulate the same motions that are created when walking.”

Gavin blinked and looked at him. “What?”

Ricky glanced at him and smiled. “When humans were nomads, women would carry their babies as they walked. It was better for survival if the children were silent so they would sleep.”

“That’s...cool?” 

“It is a fascinating tidbit of information.”

“And where exactly did you learn this fascinating tidbit?” 

Ricky hesitated for a moment, and then shook his head.

Gavin scoffed. “What?”

Ricky’s eyes squinted slightly. “You’ll make fun of me.”

“That bad huh? Now you gotta tell me.”

Ricky sighed and gave in. “I’ve been reading some parenting magazines.”

Gavin covered his mouth but the laugh escaped in odd grunts. He tried forcing his face into a frown. 

Ricky looked away. “See,” he said. “I told you.”

“I’m not laughing at you,” Gavin said. He was still smiling though. “I’m just uh, really excited by the prospect of future parenting tidbits.”

Ricky glanced at him, eyebrows furrowed. “Really?”

Gavin nodded quickly. “Oh yeah. That was like, the most interesting thing I heard all month.”

Ricky blinked a few times, his LED spinning a bit. “You’re being sarcastic,” he said.

Gavin laughed again. “Took you long enough.”

They dropped Yasmine off at the daycare, well, Gavin waited in the car while Ricky dropped her off. Ricky started heading towards the station but Gavin shook his head and pointed in the opposite direction.

“We got a stop to make first,” he said. 

Ricky eyed him up and turned towards the station anyway.

Gavin rolled his eyes. “It’s work related I promise. I want to go talk to the bowling alley manager before people actually start showing up to play.”

Ricky nodded and turned the car around. “Perhaps he’ll know something about our victim and current suspects’ relationship.”

Gavin pursed his lips. “So, uh, what happens to the kids if the parents do turn out to be the murderers?”

Ricky thought about it for a second, his LED blinking as he scanned for information. “They’ll probably stay in foster care until they are adopted. But don’t worry, if that is the case we’ll find a different home for them.”

Gavin nodded and looked out the window. “Yeah. Good.”

The bowling alley had only just opened when they arrived. The only people there was the manager, one employee, and a group of elderly woman down at one lane, putting on their bowling shoes.

“What can I do you gents for?” The manager, a round man with a permanently red face asked them.

Gavin placed his badge on the counter. “I’m detective Gavin Reed from the DPD. This is Ricky. We’re here to ask you a few questions.”

The employee, a young woman with a long ponytail, glanced over at them, her eyes aglow. 

The manager, Bill, according to his nametag, stiffened. 

“What do you know about Tony Ortega and Carl Teegan?” Ricky asked, ruining Gavin’s fun of making people think they were in trouble.

Recognition flooded Bill’s face. “Oh no,” he said. “Don’t tell me they got into another fight.”

“Another fight?” Gavin asked. He pulled out his notepad, fully aware that Ricky was recording the questioning but trusting his own notes anyhow. 

Bill nodded. “They’re two teams were competing for the league championship last week. One of Carl’s balls cracked when he tossed it. He accused Tony of sabotaging it and, well, one thing led to another and they were fighting. I had to throw them out and disqualify both their teams.” He shrugged. “Pretty lucky for the Ravagers tho, I guess.”

Gavin and Ricky shared a look. “So they had a history of violence,” Gavin said. Ricky nodded, his face falling a bit.

“So what’d they do this time?” Bill asked. 

Gavin put his notebook away. “Mr. Ortega was found murdered earlier this week.” Both Bill’s and the employee’s faces opened in shock. “And we’re pretty sure Mr. Teegan did it.”


	13. Sick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about dropping off the face of the planet.   
> Take this sick Gavin as my penance

The rest of the day at work was pretty calm. Hank and Connor were away on a case, so Gavin didn’t have to deal with Hank glaring at him all day. But as the hours ticked by, Gavin started to feel a slight tickle at the back of his throat. He tried to drown it away with coffee, but the excess amount of caffeine seemed to have an opposite effect on him.

By the time Ricky got him home, Gavin was ready to pass out.

“You don’t look so good,” Oliver said, watching as Gavin slumped his way to the couch.

“I’m just tired,” Gavin replied. He sank down into the cushions, closing his eyes and trying to will away the soreness in his throat.

Ricky walked over and placed his hand against Gavin’s forehead. Gavin shivered at the sudden chill.

“You have a fever,” Ricky said. “C’mon. We should get you in bed.” He picked Gavin up and carried him down the hall.

“I’m fine,” Gavin mumbled, his eyes remaining shut. He let Ricky undress him and place him under the covers.

“I have to go take care of the children,” Ricky whispered, kneeling next to the bed and running a hand through Gavin’s hair. “But I’ll be back soon.”

“It’s...fine.” Gavin pulled his blanket up around him. He was asleep before Ricky even left the room.

Gavin woke the next morning with puffy eyes and a still-sore throat. He cracked his eyes opened and looked at the alarm clock. It was past time for work. Gavin struggled to sit up, the fatigue in his body still weighing him down.

The door opened and Oliver walked in carrying a tray. “No no,” he said. He rushed over and placed the tray down, gently pushing Gavin back against the pillows. “I’m to make sure you stay rested.”

Gavin coughed, his throat a screaming agony with each dry swallow. “Where’s Ricky?” His voice cracked as he spoke.

“He said he still had to go to work,” Oliver said. He picked up a mug and held it to Gavin’s face. “Here, I made you some tea.”

Gavin didn’t have the energy to fight the android as he poured some into Gavin’s mouth. Gavin swallowed, the hot liquid providing a second of relief. Oliver picked up a small plastic cup and held it to Gavin’s mouth. The medicine tasted like off-brand bubble gum but it did seem to clear up part of his throat fairly quick.

Gavin sat up against the headboard and Oliver placed the tray on his lap. 

“I made you chicken noodle soup,” Oliver said. “Well, Mr. Ricky made it last night but I heated it up for you this morning!”

“Thanks,” Gavin croaked out. The warmth of the soup eased his suffering a bit and the pepper in it cleared up his nose. 

Oliver shifted on his feet, watching Gavin eat, his gaze wandering around the room. It was scary how much the kid looked like a miniature version of Ricky.

With a little bit of feeling back in his throat, Gavin coughed and said, “You don’t have to stand around and watch me. I promise I’ll eat.”

“It’s just that, well, Mr. Ricky said you had a bad track for taking care of yourself.” Oliver tilted back and forth on his feet. “I’m to make sure that you rest, eat well, and get better.”

He was really a miniature version of Ricky. Just what Gavin needed.

“Well at least sit-down,” Gavin said, gesturing to the bed.

Oliver gingerly sat down on the edge, his eyes glancing around the room. “Your room is very bare,” he said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You don’t have any decorations in here. It’s very plain.”

“It’s a bedroom. It doesn’t need any decorations.”

Oliver nodded and the two sat in silence as Gavin finished eating. His throat was starting to feel a little better, but it still hurt. And it was still dry. But every time Gavin coughed it just hurt even more. He sighed and leaned back against the headboard. 

“I’ll take this for you,” Oliver said, standing up. “You should get some more rest.”

Gavin nodded weakly and laid back down. He was asleep before he even knew it.

He woke up again that night when Ricky returned home. The android was gently stroking Gavin’s hair. Gavin creaked his eyes open. His throat was in too much pain to talk, but he did manage to make a little moan.

“Here,” Ricky said softly. He held a cup of medicine up to Gavin’s lips and tipped it back. Gavin coughed, each movement a painful jolt to his throat. Ricky sighed and placed a kiss to Gavin’s forehead. “Go back to sleep. It’ll help you feel better.”

Gavin didn’t really sleep that night. He woke up every hour, turning over and coughing. And every hour Ricky was there, helping Gavin drink a concoction of juice and soda that helped soothe his throat a little. At some point, Gavin became aware that Oliver had taken over drink duty, but it wasn’t until well into the afternoon that Gavin actually felt any better.

He sat up in his bed and coughed, looking at the clock. He hadn’t spent that much time in bed since he was sick as a child. He slowly got to his feet, body wavering a bit. He was starving, and the kitchen seemed so far away.

Gavin stumbled down the hall, his body almost too weak to carry him. He got to the living room, reaching out and holding onto the couch for support.

“Mr. Reed! You really should be sleeping!” Oliver jumped up to his feet and reached out to steady Gavin.

“I’ve been sleeping all day,” Gavin said. “I need to...sit.”

Oliver helped him settle down on the couch. “I’ll heat you up some soup,” he said.

“Thanks, kid,” Gavin mumbled. 

He heard the microwave start, and then Oliver brought him out a cup of juice-soda. Gavin sipped at it, watching the muted television screen. The kid was watching some kind of police drama show.

“We can change it if you want,” Oliver said, placing a bowl in Gavin’s lap.

“Nah,” Gavin said. He slurped at the soup. “This is fine.”

Oliver turned the sound back on and sat down next to Gavin. “I just thought it would be interesting,” he said, “to see what you and Mr. Ricky do all day.”

Gavin scoffed, his throat moaning in protest. “These shows aren’t accurate.”

“Oh?”

“They aren’t even wearing gloves at a crime scene.”

“Oh right. Fingerprints.”

Oliver turned the T.V. off and watched Gavin eat. 

“Hey, wanna do something fun?”

Oliver bounced a little. “Yeah!”

“Go get that box over there.” Gavin nodded at the little box sitting on the shelf under the television. 

Oliver raced over and opened it. He looked inside, furrowed his eyebrows, and then looked back at Gavin. 

“What is it?”

“It’s a PlayStation,” Gavin said. “Ya know, like, video games?”

“Ohhh.” Oliver brought the box over and sat back down. “I’ve never played any video games before.”

“None at all?”

Oliver shook his head. “Sometimes, when our parents took us with them on league night, I would watch the other kids play Pacman in the bowling arcade. But I never got to play.”

“Well, better get started,” Gavin said. He nodded down at the pile of games in the box. “You’ve got a lot to get through.”

Oliver smiled at him and raced to hook the system up to the television.

“And no cheating,” Gavin told him.

“What do you mean?” Oliver asked, sitting down with the controller. 

Gavin smirked at him. “You can’t go looking up hints or cheats in that computer brain of yours. I had to play ‘em the hard way and so do you.”

Oliver nodded. “But you’ll help me if I get stuck right?”

“Sure, kid.”


	14. Chapter 14

Gavin and Oliver were playing Spyro when Ricky got home, carrying Yas in his arms. The toddler immediately reached out for Gavin, but Ricky held her steady by the hall.

“I’m glad to see you up, detective,” Ricky said. He walked around them in a large arch, placing a fussy Yasmine in her playpen.

Gavin eyed him and coughed, wishing he hadn’t. “I’m feeling much better now,” he said. “I’m sure I’ll be fine for work tomorrow.”

Ricky walked up to him and leaned over, placing a kiss to Gavin's forehead. “Well, your fever certainly has gone down. But you’re staying home tomorrow.”

Gavin scoffed, then made a mental note to never do that again as his throat stabbed him. “I’ll be fine.”

“Gavin, you are not going to work and that’s final.”

Gavin blinked up at the android, taken back a little. He wished he wasn’t sick. And that Oliver wasn’t watching them. 

“Fine,” he said, hoping the blush to his cheeks would be mistaken as part of his cold. “But Monday I’m going in.”

Ricky gave him a small smile. “I’m sure by Monday you’ll be fit and ready for duty.”

Ricky went to the kitchen to prepare dinner and Oliver’s attention was back on his game. Gavin slowly got up and hobbled his way over to Ricky. The android was standing before the open fridge, trying to formulate some kind of dish from the lack of food they had.

“We could just order a pizza,” Gavin suggested. 

Ricky spun around. He smiled at Gavin, shutting the fridge. “I’ll go shopping tomorrow, after work.”

Gavin shuffled forward, resting his head on Ricky’s chest. The android hesitated for a second, then wrapped his arms around Gavin, rubbing his back gently.

“Hey,” Gavin mumbled. “I don’t know if this is the fever talking, but I had an idea.”

“What’s that?” Ricky asked, his voice soft and gentle.

“You know, Oliver is an android but like, he’s still a kid. He still like, processes things as a kid does.”

“Yes.”

“Well, I’m thinking, you know, if I was like, ten, and something like what happened to me happened to him, I wouldn’t really understand all that’s going on either.”

“I imagine it was quite a traumatizing experience,” Ricky said.

“Well, you guys can like...connect right?”

Ricky tilted his head and looked at Gavin with furrowed eyebrows.

“Like, couldn’t you...uh...see? His memories?”

“Ah,” Ricky said. “I think I understand what you’re getting at.”

“Yeah,” Gavin stepped back. “Like, maybe they mentioned where they were going or something.”

Ricky nodded. “I suppose I could try it, as long as Oliver is willing.”

“Yeah, yeah, of course. Wouldn’t want to traumatize him more.”

The two walked back to the living room. Oliver had turned off the game system and was kneeling next to Yasmine, playing with her little-stuffed giraffe as she laughed. 

“Oliver,” Ricky said, kneeling next to the two of them. “Detective Reed had an idea that may help us advance the case.”

“Oh?” Oliver gave Yas the toy. “What’s that?”

“Well, if it’s alright with you, I could access your memory, to get a better understanding of what happened that morning.”

Oliver looked up at Gavin. The man gave him a little nod. 

“I suppose that would be okay,” Oliver said. He grabbed his arm and looked around. “Just, promise that’s all?”

Ricky’s eyes softened and he smiled. “Of course. I promise. Just that morning.”

Oliver nodded and held his arm out to Ricky. Ricky gently grabbed it and the synthetic skin around their hands disappeared, leaving them open to a connection. Gavin watched them both close their eyes. The LEDs flicked gently, a transfer of information between the two androids. 

For just a moment, Gavin was aware of how weird his life had become. Here he was, watching his robot boyfriend share a memory with his robot foster son simply by touching arms. Then the two pulled away from each other and Ricky looked at him with his deep blue eyes and everything that Gavin had just felt melted away.

“Well?” Oliver asked. “Anything?’

Ricky smiled at him and ruffled his hair a bit. “That was very helpful, Oliver. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Ricky stood back up and ushered Gavin down the hall.

“There was a fourth person,” Ricky said. “A woman, who came in with the victim.”

“Shit,” Gavin said. “You think she knows where they are? Could we find her? Did you get a name?”

“I don’t know who it is, but I can run the voice through the database tomorrow and see if there are any matches.”

“This is good,” Gavin said. “This is a lead.”

“Gavin.”

“Yes?”

“There’s a high probability that she is our murderer.”

Gavin stepped back a bit. “Are you sure?”

Ricky’s LED blinked a bit, replaying the scene in his head. “I’m fairly certain, detective.”

“Well, uh, that’s good, right? Means that they’re parents are probably innocent. Means, uh, means they’ll get to go home.” Gavin looked down at the ground, trying not to be bothered by that fact.

“Yes,” Ricky said. “They will.”


	15. Broken

The next day Gavin woke up finally not feeling like he was going to die. It was suspiciously quiet in the apartment. He wandered down the hallway to find Oliver sitting crossed-leg on the couch, the television muted, playing through a game.

Gavin smiled at him and walked into the kitchen for some much-needed coffee. Two days without it was more than enough. He noticed that Ricky had made a pot that morning, leaving the coffee maker on warm so it was ready for him. He poured out the largest mug he had.

He walked back to the living room. Oliver was completely absorbed in the game, his eyes wide and his fingers mashed at the buttons. Gavin cleared his throat and the boy jumped, turning to look at Gavin with a yellow LED.

“Ah, Detective Reed, I’m sorry. I didn’t hear you.”

“It’s okay,” Gavin said, walking around him to sit on the couch. “And you can just call me Gavin.”

“Ok, Mr. Gavin.”

“Close enough.” Gavin chugged a gulp of warm coffee, the liquid the perfect temperature to soothe his throat without burning it.

“Would you like some breakfast?” Oliver asked, pausing the game. “I could make you some eggs.”

“You don’t have to cook for me,” Gavin said. “If I recall we still have some pizza left from last night. I’ll just heat that up.”

“Mr. Gavin, that’s not a healthy breakfast. Especially not for someone who’s sick.”

“I’m not sick,” Gavin said. “I was sick, but now I’m perfectly able to have junk for breakfast.”

Oliver squinted at him. “I don’t think so. I’m making you eggs.” 

The android got up before Gavin could contest. So he just shrugged and grabbed the controller, taking over for the boy at the game. Not even a minute had passed before Gavin heard a crashing sound coming from the kitchen.

He hopped up and raced over. Oliver was sitting on the ground surrounded by a pile of broken dishes and the shelf that had fallen out of the cupboard.

“I’m really sorry,” Oliver said, his words coming out between tense sobs. “The shelf just fell.”

Gavin leaned over and picked the kid up, setting him down on clear flooring and kneeling down next to him. “Are you okay?”

“I didn’t see it was loose,” Oliver said, not looking at Gavin, his tearful eyes wandering over the mess. “I promise I’ll fix it.”

“Oliver, hey kid, look at me.” Oliver slowly turned to face Gavin, his LED a solid, dark red. “Are you hurt?” He gently shook his head, biting his lip. Gavin sighed and sat down next to him. “Don’t worry about the mess, okay? I’ll clean it up.”

“Mr. Gavin?”

“Yeah.”

“I was eavesdropping last night.” Oliver’s voice was slow and weak, his breath still wavering as he cried.

Gavin grinned at him. “Kinda hard not to.”

“Do you want to know a secret?” Oliver asked, his voice a whisper.

“Lay it on me,” Gavin said.

Oliver scooted closer. “I wish my parents had killed that man.”

Gavin looked into the androids big, blue eyes, light with tears, and his heart ached. “You know what?” he said. “So do I.”

Oliver sniffed and leaned forward to hug him. Gavin wrapped his arms around the child and wondered how his life got so complicated.

They left the mess in the kitchen and spent the day playing games, each of them taking their minds off the situation at hand. 

“You seemed to have had quite the day,” Ricky said, entering the apartment and glancing at the kitchen.

“I’m sorry,” Oliver said. “But Mr. Gavin wouldn’t let me clean it up.”

“I’ll get it eventually,” Gavin said.

Ricky shook his head and placed Yasmine down on the couch next to Oliver. “I’ve had an interesting day as well.”

Gavin raised an eyebrow at him.

Ricky looked at Oliver, hesitated for a second, then said, “we found the woman from that morning.”

Gavin sat up. “Really?”

Ricky nodded. “I had the idea to check the bowling league members, and there was a news interview done with the Ravagers when they won the league championship. The voice matched with their leader.”

“Good instinct,” Gavin said.

“We confronted her at her house and she confessed to everything.”

“Wait.” Gavin stood up, holding onto Ricky for support. “You found the culprit and got the confession and didn’t call me?”

“She was fairly easy to handle,” Ricky said. “I assure you I was fully capable of handling it.”

“That’s not the point,” Gavin said. “I’m on the case too. I should have been there.”

“But you’re sick.”

“Not that sick!”

“I’m sorry, detective. I didn’t think it was an issue.”

“Does this mean we go home now?” Oliver asked.

Gavin and Ricky turned to face the child. He held Yasmine in his lap and looked up at them with a wide face.

“Well,” Ricky said. “We still don’t know where your parents are. But I assume once the hear the culprit has been caught, they’ll return. And yes, then you will go home.”

“Oh.” Oliver looked down. “I guess that makes sense.”

Yas grabbed the boys cheeks and squished his face together, bouncing slightly in his lap. He gave her a tight smile, visibly trying not to cry.

Gavin looked at Ricky, unsure what to do. His life was about to finally return to normal. And he felt absolutely sick about it.


	16. Runaways

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all it's ALMOST DONE

Gavin sat at his desk, tapping his finger against the top, watching Carl and Tonya Teegan as they sat on the other side of the room. Mr. Teegan was typing on his phone and Mrs. Teegan sat with her legs crossed, checking her watch every five minutes.

Earlier that day the couple had shown up, explaining how they feared for their safety and so ran. Only Ricky’s hand on Gavin’s arm held him back from yelling at them about the safety of their children if they were so concerned. After that, Ricky went to pick Yasmine and Oliver up. Gavin spent his time glaring at the couple.

“Finally,” Tonya said, standing up as Ricky walked inside. Oliver walked next to him, holding Yas in his arms and looking down at the ground. 

Tonya took Yasmine from Oliver’s arms, adjusting the toddler’s shirt. Yas squirmed around in her arms, reaching out to Ricky.

“Now, now,” Tonya said, pulling the girl’s arms back. “Behave yourself, young lady.”

Yas sniffed a bit but settled down. Gavin stood up and joined the group, watching Carl stand to the side, still typing on his phone.

“Come on, Oliver,” Tonya said. She walked away, her heels clicking against the hard floor, her husband following her, never looking up from his phone.

Oliver looked between Ricky and Gavin, his eyes teary. “No,” he said, his voice small and uncertain.

Tonya spun around, her eyes small and cold. “Excuse me?”

Oliver fidgeted his hand. “I...I don’t want to go.”

“Oliver, you get over here right this instant. You’re making a scene.”

Oliver looked to Gavin but Gavin didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know what he could do. It was such a messed up scenario and Gavin had no more claim to this kid than he did any other kid in the world. He knew he should say something, should do something, but all he could do was stare at Oliver with an empty feeling in his stomach.

Oliver eventually looked back down at the ground, slumping over to his family. Gavin watched the four of them leave the office. He couldn’t bear to look at Ricky so he went back to his desk to finish up the paperwork from the case.

It did little to ease his troubled mind.

That night Gavin and Ricky went home to their now quiet apartment. Gavin said nothing, noting how the playpen and crib had been deconstructed and taken away, his living room once more spacious and empty. He sat down, looking around at the non-mess. 

Ricky sat down next to him. “Do you want to talk about it.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Gavin said. He turned the television on and sat back in the couch, crossing his arms.

Ricky was quiet for a moment, studying Gavin’s face. He sighed and got up. “I’ll make something for dinner.”

Gavin knew he had promised to be more open with his feelings with Ricky, but to do that he needed to figure out what the hell he was feeling first. Someone knocked on the door and he scowled. If Tina was coming over to yell at him…

But it wasn’t Tina. Ricky opened the door and before he even had time to speak Oliver raced into the living room, carrying Yas in his arms.

“Oliver?” Gavin asked, starting up. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m sorry,” Oliver said, crying. “I just couldn’t do it. I couldn't go back.”

“Okay,” Gavin said. “Just calm down.”

Ricky walked into the room, slow and uncertain. Gavin looked to him for guidance but the android just shook his head, equally confused.

“I didn’t know where else to go,” Oliver said. “But I knew I just couldn’t stay there.”

Ricky knelt down next to Oliver and gently touched his shoulder. “Just tell us what happened.”

“We went home but it didn’t feel like home,” Oliver said. “I did realize how terrible they were. I don’t want to stay with them please don’t make me go back!”

Oliver leaned forward, burying his face in Ricky’s chest, squishing Yas between the two of them.

“Uh, look, kid.” Gavin scooted forward on the couch, leaning over to the two androids. “We, uh, we have to send you back.”

“What?” Oliver pulled his face away from Ricky. “Why? Why can’t we just stay here with you?”

“Well, cause, that’s technically kidnapping,” Gavin said.

“But we want to stay here. It’s different.”

“Not really. Not in the eyes of the law anyway. Your parents are still your parents.”

Oliver shook his head, his face scrunched up in anger. “I’m not going back! If you don’t want me then I’ll just go somewhere else!”

Ricky pulled the boy into a hug, gently stroking his hair. “Oliver, it’s not that we don’t want you. It’s complicated.”

“It doesn’t have to be,” Oliver mumbled.

Ricky looked at Gavin, pain in his eyes. 

“I’ll, uh, go call...someone,” Gavin said. 

He went to his bedroom and called the Teegans. Maybe if they got it resolved quickly, there wouldn’t be any legal issues. Gavin really didn’t want to be one of those cops in jail.

“Hello?” Tonya said, answering the phone. “Who’s there?”

“Mrs. Teegan,” Gavin said through gritted teeth. “It’s Detective Reed.”

“Oh. What do you want.”

“I just thought you’d like to know that we found Oliver and Yasmine,” he said. Not a complete lie, but he could get away with it.

“Found them?” Tonya asked. “What in the hell are you talking about.”

“They ran away?” Gavin said.

“Carl! Where is Yasmine?” There was a shuffling and whispered voices. “Where are they?”

“They’re at my apartment,” Gavin said, giving her the address.

“We’ll pick them up in the morning.” Then she hung up.

Gavin stood fixated to the floor, staring at his phone. What a bitch.

Ricky entered the room. “Is everything okay?”

“No,” Gavin said. “Their parents are complete assholes. They’ll pick them up in the morning.” He threw his phone at the bed, it bounced off and landed on the floor. “We gotta do something.”

“What can we do?”

“I don’t know. Call child protective services on them?”

Ricky looked away, his LED blinking swiftly. “They meet all the requirements for caring for a child,” he said. 

“Bullshit,” Gavin said. He started pacing around the room, too riled up to stay still.

“The bar is quite low, detective.”

“Well, then...fuck. I don’t know. We could...sue them!”

Ricky raised an eyebrow, his face annoyingly calm. “Sue them, detective?”

“Yeah! Sue them for adoption. Foster parents do it all the time.”

Ricky tilted his head, no doubt looking up the process. “I’m afraid we don’t have much of a leg to stand on. Neither of us is biologically related to them, and we were only fostering them for a few days.”

“Well, you’re an android. And Oliver is an android. That’s gotta be something.”

“I’m afraid not, detective.”

“Do you even want to help them? It’s like you’re not even trying.”

“I was under the impression that you didn’t want a family.”

Gavin stopped moving. “It’s not that I want a family,” he said. “It’s just that...I want...You know. They aren’t terrible. As far as kids go.”

Ricky’s face twitched a small, quick smile. “It wouldn’t be easy,” he said. “Trying to adopt them. And in the end, we probably wouldn’t win.”

“We at least have to try.”

“And it would be costly.”

Gavin scoffed. “I’ve been living in this small-ass apartment for ten years,” he said. “I have some saved up.”

Ricky’s face finally softened, a grin lingering on his lips. “I didn’t know I was dating such a billionaire.”

“Shut-up,” Gavin said with a smile. “Do you think we should tell them? That we’re going to try?”

“I believe it would be the only way to get them to return home.”

Gavin nodded. “I guess, uh, I guess I’ll call my lawyer.”


	17. Adoption

After being told for about an hour by his lawyer that Gavin really had no chance of winning the battle in adoption, a hearing was set up between Gavin and the Teegans. Because Ricky was an android, and even though they were free they were still in the process of getting full rights, he wasn’t technically allowed to adopt anyone, and therefore wasn’t even allowed in the room.

Gavin sat next to his lawyer at a large, conference table, the Teegans and their lawyer across from them. A judge sat at the head of the table, going through a small stack of papers. Gavin coughed slightly, his insides squirming around. He wished that Ricky was there, holding his hand, keeping him calm.

“Well, then,” the judge said, setting his papers down and removing his reading glasses. He looked between the two sides of the table. “Quite the interesting case we have here.” He trained his focus on Gavin. “You know you have very little ground to stand on here.”

Gavin, too afraid of what he might say if he opened his mouth, simply nodded.

“Is this going to take long?” Carl Teegan asked, sticking his phone back in his suit jacket pocket.

“Your children’s’ futures will take as long as they need to, Mr. Teegan,” the judge said. Carl sighed and sat back in his seat. The judge squinted at him a bit and turned back to his papers.

“This is ridiculous,” Tonya said before the judge had time to speak again. “Yasmine is our daughter. This...detective, has no right trying to take her.”

“Hey,” Gavin said, leaning forward. His lawyer grabbed his shoulder, pulling him back and shaking his head. Gavin grumbled and sank back into his seat. Not talking sure was difficult.

“As you can see, your honor,” Gavin’s lawyer said, “my client fostered the two children, and as thus, does have a right to pursue adoption.”

The judge studied the papers, his lips pursing. He looked back up at them over the rim of his glasses. “Your client only fostered them for a handful of days.”

“Does love for a child require a time limit? A mother loves their child the first second it is born.”

“That’s because she came out of me,” Tonya said.

“You see?” Gavin said, gesturing to her. “She doesn’t even care about Oliver. She hasn’t mentioned him once this whole time!”

“Gavin,” his lawyer warned him.

“I’m sorry, but they only bought him as a babysitter cause they can’t be bothered to care for their own kid! There’s gotta be some kind of child labor laws against that!”

“Detective Reed, I highly suggest you calm yourself before I throw you and your case out,” the judge said.

“But-”

“I won’t warn you again.”

Gavin ground his teeth together and slumped back again. He seethed, glaring at the two so-called-parents across the table.

“Can we wrap this up soon?” Carl Teegan asked, pulling his phone out. “I’ve got a meeting soon.”

Gavin pointed at them and looked at the judge expectantly.

“Mr. Teegan, you are not helping your case.”

“Oh, just let them have the children,” he said.

“But darling,” Tonya said, moving in her seat to look at him. “What about the society?”

“We can always have another one, dear,” he said. “Perhaps a less fussy one this time.”

Tonya seemed to consider the option. “How long would that take?” she asked, leaning over to the lawyer.

“Having a baby?” he asked, stunned into confusion.

“Giving the other one away?”

The judge regained his senses and gave the woman a tight smile. He reached into the briefcase by his feet and pulled out a packet of paper. “All you need do is sign them away,” he said, passing the paper to her.

Tonya snapped her fingers and her lawyer produced a pen for her. She scribbled her name on the pages and then passed it off to her husband, who did the same.

“Can we go now?” Carl asked, pocketing the pen.

“I insist you do,” the judge said.

Gavin watched, opened mouthed, as the two left the room. He looked to the judge. “What just happened?”

“You just adopted two children,” he said, standing up. Gavin stood with him. “Congratulations.” He shook his hand.

“That-that’s it?” Gavin asked. “Just like that?”

“Well, there’s some paperwork to deal with, but I’ll let you and your lawyer handle that.” The judge closed up his briefcase, leaving a few papers on the table for them, before leaving the room.

“I did not expect that to turn out so well,” Gavin's lawyer said, looking over the papers.

“You and me both,” Gavin said, still a little stunned. On the one hand, he was over the top elated that they had won. But on the other, the fact that people like that existed out there having children they didn’t care about, it made him sick. 

Gavin and his lawyer went over the rest of the paperwork, crossing the t’s and dotting the I’s. Another half an hour had passed before Gavin left the room.

Ricky met him at the door, his LED yellow, faced a contorted mess. “What happened?” He asked. “Everyone left so quickly.”

Gavin smiled at him, finally letting the weight of the whole past few days drift off. “Well, we’re parents now.”

“Really?” Ricky’s face softened, spreading into a smile. He pulled Gavin into a hug. “Are you sure this is what you want?”

Gavin chuckled. “A little late to second guess it now. But yeah, I’m sure. I can do this dad thing. Not like I gotta do it alone or anything, right?”

Ricky’s smile broadened and he pulled Gavin into a kiss, not caring they were in public. Gavin didn’t mind it either.

“Mr. Ricky!” A voice from down the hall yelled. “Mr. Gavin!”

The two broke apart and watched Oliver run up to them. The Teegans’ lawyer walked behind him, Yasmine in his arms. Oliver ran into Ricky’s arms and the android picked the boy up, hugging him tightly.

Yasmine reached out to Gavin and he pulled the toddler into his arms. She tugged on his hair and squished his nose. He smiled at her.

“You did it!” Oliver said. “You did it you did it!”

Ricky chuckled and put the child back down on the ground. He ruffled his hair. “And we are so happy we did.”

“Really?” Oliver asked, looking up at Gavin. “You’re happy?”

“Of course. Who couldn’t be with you around?” 

Oliver leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Gavin. Gavin hugged him back with his free arm. Ricky joined in, resting his head against Gavin’s and rubbing Yasmine’s back. It was nothing like he ever expected his life to be like. And he couldn’t imagine ever going back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all IT"S DONE!!! Thank you so much to everyone who was with me from the start of this and all those who found it later on!  
> I want you to know, I'm not done with these kids yet! Keep a lookout for Reed900 pure domestic fluff, a series of ficlets featuring this lovely family.  
> ALSO  
> If you like me and my writing and want to meet other dbh fanfic writers/are a writer yourself,  
> Come join the Yellow LED discord server  
> https://discord.gg/S465VZn


	18. Update

Just wanted to make sure that everyone who liked this fic and wants to see more knows about the ficlet series I'm writing for this family  
Here's the link  
https://archiveofourown.org/works/16742521/chapters/39275671


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